Commentary: A Million Person March On Washington
By Edmond Y. Azadian
Posted on April 23, 2012 by Editor
Judge Lisa Asadoorian is one of many prominent young judges in
Michigan. Although she is not actively involved in any particular
Armenian organization, her heart is in the right place. She cares
about her own people, both in the diaspora and Armenia.
Last Sunday, when she was attending a panel discussion on the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, she came up with the idea
of 1 million people (both Armenian and non-Armenian) marching on
Washington and demanding Genocide recognition. She believes that
neither the government nor the media can remain indifferent. There
will be some positive reactions and certainly media coverage to mark
the centennial of the Armenian Genocide.
Any mention of a million-person march on Washington brings back the
memory of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who broadcast to
the world that he had “a dream,” a dream for African-Americans and
a dream for America.
Any person who entertains such an all-encompassing dream must be ready
to sacrifice his or her life no matter how peaceful the dream may be.
Socrates had a dream, Christ had a dream, leaders of the French and
Bolshevik revolutions had dreams and they all paid for their dreams
with their lives. Dr. King was cognizant of the perils of entertaining
such a monumental dream, and he was ready to pay the ultimate price,
which unfortunately for all humankind, he did. He sacrificed his life,
but his dream continued marching and gradually transforming the country
into a more tolerant society, with a stronger sense of social justice.
Judge Asadoorian may be a naïve person, unaware of the potentials of
our community, or she may be a visionary. That remains to be seen
in the years to come when the entire community gears up to make an
impact on the consciences of the politicians.
We are being warned that the Turks are preparing their pre-emptive
strike, even before the Armenians make the first. They have the
resources and friends in higher positions to achieve their goals.
Armenians are slumbering and no major idea or project seems to be on
the drawing boards to mark the centennial. Therefore, it is incumbent
upon us to bounce this million-person idea with our public, and find
out how receptive the public is to the idea. If nothing else, such
a massive show of force will certainly help generate new ideas and
prospects for ourselves.
Some caveats are warranted here. In the first place we do not have
a million bodies to lead them on a march to Washington.
Second, it is doubtful whether a considerable number of non-Armenians
could be interested enough to march in Washington. We claim to
represent a force of one million Armenians in the US. Some of them
aren’t even aware that they are being counted in that million. Others
may be cruising the oceans leisurely, the Genocide being the last
things on their minds. Still others are incarcerated in California
jails for petty thefts and a large number may be chasing the American
Dream rather than Martin Luther King’s dream. Our computation fails
here. It fails unfortunately because we cannot count how many Armenians
are left with a dream and how many can take the trouble and expense
to show up in Washington.
However, if a million march catches the imagination of all or most of
the Armenian organizations, they can pool together enough resources
and people to deliver an impressive march, all dressed in black and
with the slogan “Genocide recognition now.”
In that case, some politicians may be ready to pay the Armenians lip
service, their next election on their minds. President Harry Truman had
a scathing definition for politicians; he said in his youth he aspired
to become either a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician,
and concluded that there isn’t too much difference between the two.
As to the role of the media, we are not very certain if they would
be willing to give full coverage, because we have seen in the past
thousands of people rallying in Washington in support of a legitimate
cause, but cynically, little or no coverage has been given, because
the media moguls did not have any interest in the cause.
A gay-rights parade or a politicized shooting of a young man may enjoy
better media coverage, than, let us say, the fate of 4,500 members of
the armed forces killed in Iraq or the 50,000 maimed soldiers. Media
networks have their own priorities, which are not based on justice
only, but on what sells products.
Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is crumbling under its own weight in
the United Kingdom, because it has been trampling upon its advocated
set of values, principles and codes of conduct.
We are not privy yet to plans for a mass action to mark the Genocide
centennial. A million-strong march may be an option, no matter what.
Even if it only proves to ourselves that we do have the political
will and we can mobilize masses for a cause.
A million-person march can be achieved through community-wide
cooperation, unity of purpose and action. Before marching to Washington
we have to explore and discover whether we possess the necessary
tools for the project.
First we have to define for ourselves why Genocide recognition
is relevant after 97 years and also, what to anticipate after its
centennial is marked.
If it were a moral or emotional issue it would have been forgotten a
long time ago. There are certain underlying principles that should not
go away even after one century from the event. The recognition of the
Genocide is still relevant for the following reasons: To bring closure
to the loss and the memory of 1.5 million innocent victims; to restore
justice between the two nations – a justice that the international
community dispenses selectively to achieve some self-serving goals
and to set the stage for future political settlement between the
two nations.
The fact that Turkey is still so irritable and overreacts every time
a country intends or attempts to recognize the Armenian Genocide,
Armenia and its political claims, means that they constitute an
existential threat for Turkey, which was the original cause of the
Genocide. Even Turkey has to gradually face the issue of recognizing
the Genocide. As long as the recognition issue remains alive, every
civilized political act becomes relevant and necessary.
We need a dream to march in Washington. Perhaps a fragment of that
dream concludes the million-strong march at the gates of the Armenian
Genocide Museum on its dedication day.
The Chinese have a saying: A 10,000-mile march begins with the
first step.
Are we ready to take that first step?
From: Baghdasarian
http://www.mirrorspectator.com/2012/04/23/commentary-a-million-person-march-on-washington/